Israeli forces issued order to raze apartment of terrorist who killed three people in Tel Aviv
The military said Friday it issued an order to demolish the apartment of Ra’ad Hazem, the Palestinian terrorist who killed three people in Tel Aviv last month.
Hazem, a resident of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, opened fire at a Tel Aviv bar on April 7, killing Tomer Morad and Eytam Magini, two friends both aged 27, and Barak Lufan, a 35-year-old father of three.
As a punitive policy, Israel regularly demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.
The other residents of the building in the West Bank city of Jenin can appeal the order.
Appeals rarely succeed, though in some cases the court can limit the demolition order to parts of the home used by the terrorist.
Friday’s demolition order came after an initial appeal on behalf of the residents was rejected by Israel’s High Court earlier in the week.
Jenin is widely seen as a hotbed of terrorist activity.
The terrorists who carried out the deadly attacks in Bnei Brak in late March, the Tel Aviv shooting in April, and Thursday night’s axe attack in Elad, all came from the Jenin area.
Israeli troops entering Jenin and the surrounding villages have increasingly been caught in gunfights in recent months. Although the Palestinian Authority launched an operation in the governorate last year to restore order, analysts say Ramallah increasingly holds little sway in the area.
Last month, Israeli troops attempted to arrest a team of terrorists near Jenin on their way to carry out an attack. Three Islamic Jihad members were killed in the ensuing firefight and four Israeli soldiers were injured.
Hazem went on the run after the attack and was found hiding near a mosque in Jaffa after an hours-long manhunt involving hundreds of security officers. While initially raising his hands in surrender, Hazem reportedly then drew a gun and opened fire on the officers, who fired back and killed him.
Israel defends the practice of razing the family homes of attackers as a deterrent against future assaults, and officials have argued that speed is essential, claiming that the deterrent factor degrades over time.
Over the years, however, a number of Israeli defense officials have questioned the efficacy of the practice, and human rights activists have denounced it as unfair collective punishment.
Tensions have risen sharply between Israel and the Palestinians in recent months against the backdrop of repeated terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have left 19 dead.
The army has stepped up its West Bank activities in an attempt to crack down on the spiraling violence. The ensuing raids sparked clashes that left at least 26 Palestinians dead. Many of those took part in the clashes, while others appeared to have been civilians.
Source: TOI
